A blinding light appeared in front of the women. It was brigh as the sun. This incredible light had just materialized in front of the door which had just just closed. Putting theirs hands in visor in front of theirs eyes, both young women tried to distinguish what was really there. It certainly wasn't what they expected – as much as they can expect something in this kind of situation. In the middle of the twinkling light to which the eyes began to become used, a shape began to get loose, a human shape. A young man, brown, in red and white suit, who had more the appearance of what we could imagine be a ghost.
"I am really sorry, Miss, I didn't want to affraid you!"
The hands always over eyes, Rose and Jenny looked, then turned around towards the strange appearance. They were unable to speak! They remained of long seconds to observe the humanoid light without a word .
"I'm really sorry!" Said the light again.
Regaining self-control, Jenny said:
"Don't say that, don't worry about that, all is fine, sir... Sir?"
"Head-director of the F section, Miss! My name is Yranis"
The being made of light smiled and continued :
"I didn't know how to contact you without let It understand how you could be. I tought knoking at the door could be a good idea. I was wrong."
« It was you ! The four knocks ! » Said Rose.
« Yes Miss, it was me. I wanted to make you turn back but it seems I didn't choose the right way. »
« And have you send the SOS ? »
« No, it wasn't me, miss, it was the great computer of the ship. »
« But it was a message send by a child, this voice... »
« It took the voice of our commandant'son. It voice record before our departure. It thought it could be more efficient to lead you here ! It needs you ! »
« Needs us ? But... What for ? »
« It wants to kill you. Look what it did to me. I even don't know what really happen, why I'm already here, under this form. All the members on the ship are died, I'm alone now. And... That's why it tries to make you come. It want to kill you too. »
« But... What do you want to say ? »
« The ship, miss, the ship ! The central intelligence of the ship, a whole new technology. It find a really better energy source, the life ! And it decided to use it as fuel. But now, it had used all the energy of the equipage. It needs more and you are "More" ! »
« An artificial intelligence, whipered Jenny. I should know, I should understand... It's so logical. But...Normally... Talking for herself, a computer like this didn't have circuit who cut the energy when it started to hurt to alive beings ? »
« Yes, Miss, normally ! But we came to a point of no return. We have used all our energy. We went adrift. Our capitain asked to our ship to find a solution. All it could do, everythinh that could be possible. He added « At all costs ». He shouldn't say that. The computer analysed the situation and decided that the better energy was the equipage itself. It certainly considered that it wasn't bad for the crew. It should think that the equipage was already here, safe on bord. He didn't take the life'notion as us. And it take its decision, by itslef, with what we let it know about good and bad. It doesn't have the same way of tought, you see. It wanted to brought you at the central place when I helped you, when I locked the doors."
« Oh, lianas, it was you ! You have cuted lianas ! »
"Yes. And I desactivated your torch. Lianas had photosensible captors. They were already closer than you could imagine when I unlighted the way. They are just on the other side of the door. But don't be affraid, they can't pass througth."
"How can you do that?" Asked Rose.
"I'm apparently made of the same energy that needed the ship. I can infiltred my-self inside the energy network. I can close the door and many other things but I must be really concentrate to do that. I can produce sound too. It's really exhausting to do all that things, I fell that every time I try, I fade a little more. For you torch, I just put a small overload, but you can't use it again, the lamp is broken. I should do that quickly! But you know what is the more terrifying... I even don't understand how I can be still "alive"."
"The man who was with us, the Doctor, he could help you about that. I'm sure he will know and he will answer your question. We try to find him and I suppose that it what he try to do himslef. Could you help us to find our friend, Yranis?"
"Yes! I feel his presence. He is closer than we think, said Yranis, closing his eyes. I can feel an other live form with him. A woman. I will lead you to them. I know this ship like the back of my hand. We'll avoid the can appear from nowhere, many trapdoors in walls but I know where they are and I can lock theses traps. This lianas can launch important electric shocks..."
Rose and Jenny followed the light brought by Yranis. The poor man could see his light decreased minutes after minutes. But at least, his body threw light enough so that the girls succeed in following the way in this very inhospitable place.
What Yranis had told was truth. The Doctor and Stella was very close. Only few minutes before, few meters, their friends walked up and down a corridor in the numerous doors, quite closed, when suddenly... A door open.. The Doctor flattened himself against the wall, taking Stella with him. Looking at the doctor, he put a finger on his own lips and had a look in the corridor which had just appeared.
Apparently, a new interminable corridor. The Doctor understood really well that the artificial intelligence of the ship had opened the door itslef. What he ignored that if it this A.I. Was friendly or not. He didn't know the head-director Yranis yet.
"Following or not following the white rabbit?" The Doctor whispered to Stella.
"Have we an other choice?"
Not really. So the Doctor and Stella followed this new corridor. The door closed at the same time they had passed on the other side, excactly like for Jenny and Rose. Taking his sonic screwdriver in an hand, the torch in the other, they started to walk...
At the same moment, the girls was really close to them, only few meters, on the other side of a closed and invisible door. They always followed Yranis. His light faded more and more. The two groups walked in the same direction, towards the main deck. They always went away a little more from the Tardis.
Yranis knew that it was the way of the energy extractor but he also felt that it was here they found Stella and the timelord. Rose and Jenny must found them and left this ship. It was like going rushing in the mouth of the big bad wolf. But the light of Yranis weakened so much that it urged the girls to run.
"Your friends, they are almost here... You have to find them at the end of this corridor... I'll open the door, run, you're almost... When you'll be with them, leave this infernal ship. Don't worry about me, help you will be my most beautiful victory. And... Please, don't let anyone come here anymore... It's the most dangerous place in all the universe."
Jenny and Rose started to run into darkness. They run hand in hand, as fast as possible... In front of them, a small light appeared. It became bigger. But all of a sudden, the light decreased in the door frame. Both young women stopped their awfull lot of running.
They quikly understand what was here. Two silhouettes, a big and thin one, the other one smaller. That was the Doctor and Stella. Jenny and Rose both shouted :
"Doctor, we are here!"
They ran again and flew into the arms of the Doctor. Stella looked at the girls :
"And me?" She asked.
Rose and Jenny also huged Stella, although they didn't know her well. But the Doctor didn't really know Jenny too. An adventure as this one has the effect of moving closer to people, or then of taking away them irreparably. The Doctor had already experienced it a lot of times.
The Doctor raised Jenny's chin, looking at her damaged forehead:
"Don't worry about that, I knew worse" Said the girl.
"We must leave this ship! Now!" Said Rose, still out of breath.
"It is the artificial intelligence Doctor, added Jenny, it drew the vital energy of the equipage to reload the vessel. It killed everybody, Doctor, and now, it wants us, us …"
"How do you know that?" Asked the Doctor,
"Yranis explained us. A member of the crew. He is still alive... More or less. He is an energy form of live. He wanted to meet you Doctor, he wanted to undertand why he is still here, living as a ghost. Why he is not clearly dead as the other members. But he told us to leave the ship quickly, find the Tardis and say goodbye to the devil place. The SOS was a suberfuge. The computer wanted more fuel... It wanted us!"
"Well! So, run and find the Tardis! And we stay together this time!"
Reunions had taken place on a footbridge overhanging an empty and ink-black space. It made the link between both corridors.
"Now, I know what the A.I. Has done! And I know how open the doors. Uses the sonic energy at its maxium... Things are differents now!"
"And if that thing could ear us?" Asked Stella.
"It must be, Stella, but we can't do anything against that... So...We must be faster than it!
Before following the corridor used by the Doctor and Stella, Jenny whispered a "Thank you, Yranis...". She had seen his light fade, and she imagined the poor and helpfull man had go out when he had opened the door. He just wanted to save us. This man is a real hero, thought Jenny while she rushed with the other passengers into the corridor, with only light the torch of the Doctor. It was like the ship faded itself. It represented a new threat. Because, needy, it was going to make very certainly an new attempt to get back the piles which represented our four friends. And it is what it made!
This time, it wasn't one but two walls that rose, imprisoning the Doctor and his three partners. They found themselves prisoners of the ship as well as the insatiable sound thirst of energy. Not losing his cool, the Doctor began scanning all the walls, but no breach appeared. A crystal prison. And the worst was to come. While the Doctor ruffled his hair, walking from right to left as much as allowed it the cramped space and while three young women stayed without word to say, observing it in one of its terrible moments when everything seems lost, a small trapdoor opened in the middle of the wall of origin. A gas went out of it, which quickly fills this whole hermetic cage. All began to cough. Stella made a sign to everybody to lengthen on the ground, where the air remained still healthy. But it wasn't heplfull. The Doctor looked alternately Rose, Stella and finally Jenny lose consciousness without being able to do anything them. Because although his constitution of TimeLord allowed him to hold on few more seconds, he sank too into a sleep... Without know oif he could wake up...